Originally Posted by
Maelochs
Cable breakage is not an issue .... even if it happens you can keep riding. But ... cables weigh nothing and take no space.
The idea isn’t that I will need all or even any of that stuff on every ride. The idea is that if I Do need it I don’t want to be thinking, “Wow ... I saved three ounces in loaded weight and now will be pushing my 80-lb rig up and down hills for the next 22 hours to get to a store.”
There are lots of items that "weigh nothing and take no space" but that doesn't mean you need to carry them. I agree tat cable breakage isn't an issue which is why I wouldn't carry one. I've had cable housing split but I don't carry extra cable housing.
Flats are an issue so you should carry the equipment to repair it. Broken spokes are common enough to carry either extra spokes or a Fiberfix. But there are other mechanical issues that are so rare that there's no need to carry parts or equipment to fix them.
Originally Posted by
Maelochs
Last unsupported long tour I rode, I brought a spare Tire .... and needed it.
I was carrying 80+ lbs of gear on a 30-lb bike .... all food and lots of water .... so a spare tire at 300 grams didn’t seem like a burden. And when I couldn’t boot the old tire and it was in the trash, the tire on my rim didn’t seem heavy at all.
Same with a tube or patch kit .... what, 90 percent of rides I don’t need one? Maybe more. but when I do, .... I never once regretted having a tube and pump. And the one time I went through all my tubes and didn’t have a patch kit and had to push the bike home ... it was only four miles, but I was pretty PO’d at myself for four miles.
Tires are another one of those items that I just don't see the need to carry extras. I split a tire on a rock...not badly enough to flat but badly enough to wobble. I replaced it with a tire from Helmart about 20 miles later. Helmets also have tubes, patch kits and cables. I hate shopping there but I've found that's about the only place
to shop out in the hinterlands of the US.